After a close, hair-raising encounter with something (or someone) inexplicable, Greg Erickson began leaving a cup of coffee on the counter of Coffee Landing before he locked the doors for the night.
Darcy Sullivan said friendly prankster ghosts once took a $1 tip from a jar at the Coffee Landing, only to return it the next night.
These were just a few of the stories shared by current and former patrons and employees at the Coffee Landing Cafe Saturday. Stephanie Rognerud, owner, said she was contacted by Supernatural Investigators of Minnesota regarding the otherworldly tales heard about the downtown landmark. She hosted a ghost-story telling and Q&A session with the investigators before the group took to discovering what inhabits the building after dark.
Rognerud said she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear or believe the results, since she and her family live above the shop. But she was willing to go along with the good-natured activity to find out what the investigators could find.
She confirmed Tuesday that whatever is living there are “good spirits.” She told the group Saturday that she has found herself saying “good night” to the hauntings to keep them at bay. She noted the basement as one of the more spooky areas to be alone at night.
The “ghost hunters” have performed 17 investigations around Minnesota since they began paranormal investigating a little over a year ago.
The SIM team from Bemidji was planning to stay at the Coffee Landing from dark to about 1 a.m., depending on the amount of “activity” they found. Some places are quiet for hours, while at other sites they have found more than they bargained for almost immediately.
The group uses a host of tools, including lights, audio and video recorders, and electromagnetic frequency receptors to prove that there is life beyond what can be seen with the naked eye.
Several of the five-member team say they have an extra sense about the paranormal. Mae Kelly said she became interested in the afterlife and death after her mother died in the 1970s. She met up with lead investigator Jerry Ayres and they have added other members to their team, including Ayres’ wife, Stephanie, George Donaldson and Andrew Jaffe.
In their relatively short experience, the Ayres have already been on ParaXradio.com and featured in paranormal publications. They hope to host a paranormal conference at the Minnesota Fairgrounds, which they note is a haunted hot-spot.
Ayres said they were drawn to the Coffee Landing because of stories like those described by the employees. They are actively looking for more places around the state to investigate, and are confident locals can provide them tips on the most haunted places in Borderland and beyond.
They said their first ghost hunting trip provided evidence in the supernatural. They shared with those gathered at the Coffee Landing Saturday a photo which shows a female figure in a window. The figure cannot be explained through reflections or any other means, they say.
This and other clear otherworldly experiences have proven to them that there is more than meets the eye. The SIM mission is to document and search for evidence of the supernatural.
Ayres said they will provide Rognerud whatever evidence is collected in several weeks. At that point, it will be up to her to decide how much they are able to share with the world via their website. The group’s website is www.siminnesota.com. Their services are free of charge. They can be reached via email at SIMinnesota@gmail.com or by phone at 612-703-9399.
